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Brief Synopsis

Having already lost his cattle in the brutal cold of the previous winter, rancher Dan McBride is about to lose his ranch when his fiancée, Carol Comstock, offers him a contract to graze her father Mark Comstock's cattle on his land. After accepting the deal, Dan returns to his ranch house and he is confronted by notorious rustler Sam Thatcher, with whom he used to ride before becoming a law- abiding citizen. When Thatcher proposes that Dan allow the rustlers to drive stolen cattle through a pass spanning his ranch, Dan refuses, and the two men fight. Sensing Dan's peril, Carol writes a letter to his old friend, former Texas Ranger Steve Harrison. Upon receiving Carol's missive for help, Steve and his sidekick Arkansas saddle up and ride to Basin Valley. Meanwhile, Thatcher and his gang have initiated a campaign of terror against the ranchers of the valley. As Steve and Arkansas approach Basin Valley, they hear gunshots and see see smoke, Then they discover a plundered ranch, whose owner has been murdered. At the ranch, Steve meets Ernie, Dan's foreman, who informs him that Dan is in town attending a meeting of the Cattlemen's Association. Steve proceeds to the meeting, and when he announces the news of the raid, Carol's father, the head of the association, accuses Dan of being in league with Thatcher. In response, Steve defends Dan's character and attests that after a brief involvement with Thatcher, Dan became an upstanding citizen. Scoffing at Steve's testimony, Comstock cancels their business arrangement. Although Steve reassures Dan that he will expose the man who is leaking information to the rustlers, Dan angrily threatens to leave the valley. After convincing Dan to stay, Steve decides to move Comstock's herd to safety, but he is too late, as Thatcher and his men attack and steal the cattle before he has a chance to rescue them. While Steve follows the rustlers' tracks, Arkansas rides into town with news of the raid. When Comstock accuses Dan of informing Thatcher of the location of the cattle and rallies the sheriff to form a posse and arrest the rancher, Arkansas hurries back to the ranch to warn Dan of the posse's impending arrival. After penning a note authorizing Steve to take custody of Dan's little daughter Buckshot, Dan gallops off but is soon captured by Thatcher's men and taken to their hideout. Soon after, Steve returns to the ranch and discovers that the concerned citizens have removed Buckshot from the ranch and are debating her future in town. Hurrying to the sheriff's office, Steve presents the letter from Dan, placing Buckshot in his custody. Their discussion is interrupted when Thatcher strides into the sheriff's office and demands admittance to the Cattlemen's Association. After Thatcher leaves, Steve enlists the sheriff's help in unmasking the traitor who has been leaking information to the rustlers. Soon after, Carol overhears her father dictate a message to Thatcher informing him about the next raid and issuing an order for Steve's murder. As Steve rides along the trail, he is attacked by Thatcher's gang, but escapes the ambush. Drawn by the sound of gunfire, Carol rides to Steve and tells him about her father's treachery. After placing Buckshot in Carol's care, Steve informs the sheriff of Comstock's complicity and sets a trap for the rustlers using the sheriff's cattle. As the rustlers' campfire signals the start of another raid, the sheriff summons Comstock to join the posse. Meanwhile, Steve and Ernie overturn a wagon in the pass, blocking the rustlers' escape. As Thatcher and his gang exchange gunfire with Steve and the others, Dan escapes from the cabin and joins Steve. After Thatcher is felled by Steve's bullet, his men surrender and the sheriff turns to Comstock and arrests him. Exonerated of all guilt, Dan marries Carol, and Steve and Arkansas bid the newlyweds farewell and ride off into the sunset.